U.S. speaker plans to sue Obama over executive authority misuse

• Boehner said that he was planning to sue President Barack Obama for misusing executive powers.

• "The constitution makes it clear that a president's job is to faithfully execute the laws," Boehner said.

• Josh Earnest accused the House Republicans of blocking progress in Congress "for a long time."

U.S. House Speaker John Boehner (R-Oh) speaks during a press conference on Capitol Hill in Washington D.C., capital of the United States, Feb. 6, 2014. Boehner said on Thursday that it will be difficult to pass immigration legislation this year. (Xinhua File Photo)

WASHINGTON, June 25 (Xinhua) -- Speaker of U.S. House of Representatives John Boehner said Wednesday that he was planning to sue President Barack Obama for misusing executive powers, a move the White House dismissed as one that would not have the support of most Americans.

While addressing his weekly press conference in Congress, the speaker accused the president of failing to "faithfully executed the laws," but stressed that his plan was not about an impeachment.

"The constitution makes it clear that a president's job is to faithfully execute the laws," Boehner said. "In my view, the president has not faithfully executed the laws."

"This is not about impeachment," the Ohio Republican added. " This is about his faithfully executing the laws of our country."

He would not say what Obama's actions the House would challenge in court, but Republicans have long accused the Democrat president of misusing his executive powers by side-stepping a log-jammed Congress on issues like immigration, minimum wage for federal contractors and gay rights.

Boehner denied his move was aiming for the imminent November midterm elections, as his planned lawsuit, if pressed ahead, could take years well beyond Obama's remaining two-and-half years in office.

"What we've seen clearly over the last five years is an effort to erode the power of the legislative branch," the speaker said. " When there's conflicts like this between the legislative branch and the administrative branch, it's in my view our responsibility to stand up for this institution in which we serve."

White House spokesman Josh Earnest accused the House Republicans of blocking progress in Congress "for a long time," insisting Obama's actions on his own were within his authority as president.

"It seems that Republicans have shifted their opposition into a higher gear. Frankly, it's a gear that I didn't know previously existed," he told reporters at a daily news briefing. "The fact that they are considering a taxpayer-funded lawsuit against the president of the United States for doing his job, I think, is the kind of step that most Americans wouldn't support."

WASHINGTON, June 11 (Xinhua) -- U.S. House Majority Leader Eric Cantor announced Wednesday that he would resign his leadership post by July 31, after he was defeated Tuesday in a primary election to newbie David Brat, a Tea-Party backed rival, in the state of Virginia.

It will clear the way for a Republican shake up ahead of the midterm elections this fall, when control of Congress is at stake, observers say. Full story